College Sweethearts

Today’s “How We Met” story comes from one of my good friends. Danielle writes at Family Centsability. You should check her out, she makes fabulous printables for little ones learning to write!

It was August 2005. I had been accepted into the honors program at a local community college my freshman year. The benefits of the honors program were far more than I ever expected. Not only did I get to participate in exclusive activities and classes, have a private lounge to hang out in between classes, but I also met my future husband!

He says he noticed me right away as he sat by me in biology that morning. After our first week of college, Daniel’s uncle asked if he had met any girls. He said he had, but that she unfortunately had a boyfriend. His uncle probably thought it would pass and that he would find someone else.

But, for him it was love from the first day. For me, it took a little longer to realize that our friendship was leading to a lifetime together.

We became friends, as most of the honors program students did. There were several afternoons spent talking in the lounge, classes together, and mutual friends who saw it coming before I did. We even went on an retreat to a local boy scout camp where honors students participated in group activities and spent a lot of time talking and laughing. Still, I had no idea.

It wasn’t until the second retreat that someone made it clear to me. He liked me. I felt flattered and didn’t know what to think. My boyfriend and I were still dating but we were slowly pulling apart as I was 45 miles away in college and he was a senior in high school.

As time went by, my boyfriend and I mutually decided we weren’t meant to be and called it quits. Daniel and I continued spending time together at school and outside of school. In November, he asked me officially to be his girlfriend and as much as I should have seen it coming, I was surprised and so happy! We had a lot in common and it just felt right.

We continued spending almost every day together, meeting at our cars as we arrived at college each morning and walking into classes together. Everyone said we were the cutest couple. There were even a few other couples who had met in the honors program, but none lasted like we did. Our first Valentine’s Day together, I gave him a home made card with a cute coupon for ‘one life, spent with the one you love.’ It was just a cute idea and he loved the card. This comes into play later.

Daniel and I graduated from our community college in Spring 2007 and moved onto Illinois State University. We spent our first semester in the residence halls. He jokingly proposed occasionally with wire rings he’d make from paper clips. We talked about it and knew we would eventually get married.

During Fall break, we took a road trip together to New York City. We spent the first day in Philadelphia to meet up with his mom, stepdad, and two sisters. The next day, we went to New York City and spent all day walking. We went into the city again the next day, going to the Museum of Modern Art, and walking through Central Park.

Several times, Daniel tried to get us to take a break and stay in one place for a while. I knew if I stopped moving, my feet would be too sore to start walking again, so I kept us going. Finally, he pulled me over off a walkway and told me to look at a light. I was so confused but looked. He was standing behind me, and nervously handed me a small piece of paper. I couldn’t see it because it was dark, but I knew what it was – he had secretly cut out the coupon from my Valentine’s card and laminated it, and kept it all this time. As I turned around, he knelt down and asked to redeem the coupon, and for me to marry him. I can’t remember everything he said, but I know that instead of immediately saying yes, I just kept saying “how?” I had no idea this was coming and had no idea how he had the money to get a ring.

Daniel had bought the ring a year before, waiting and planning for the big trip. The reason I thought he had no money? He had spent it all on my ring! His younger cousin had gone with him and as much as I figured she couldn’t keep a big secret, she did wonderful at it. And the ring was perfect! It was everything I ever wanted or dreamed of in a ring.

Six months after our engagement, we married in May, 2008. Daniel was able to get a job at the campus apartments where we moved to and we graduated from ISU in December 2009. Shortly after, we decided to make our dreams come true and move to Hawaii. After 10 months in Hawaii, we both felt it was time to move back to Illinois. We didn’t have any reason to think we needed to but both just felt like it was time. My husband was even on his way to being promoted at his job.

The night before we flew back to the mainland, we found out we were pregnant with our first son! He was born on our 3rd anniversary, followed 18 months later by his little brother.

Daniel is my best friend, my soulmate, and the most wonderful father to our kids. We’ve been married 6 years, but it’s only just the beginning!

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